Knitting machine



April 14, 1931. H. McADAMS KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1926 5Sheets-Sheet 1 I-Iar'r M Adam-15 gwudmto'c April 14, 1931. H. McADAMSKNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 193 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 HEFFHMEA 51533 April14, 1931. HIMCADAMS KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 3CAM 77PAVEL I w w was m W M Lmfi mafia INVENTOR. Hall H McAdam-L5ATTORNEY,

April 14, 1931; H, MOADAMS 1,801,167

' KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Harry M AdBLTIE.

gwuemtoz Patented A r. 14,1931

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY ICADLMB, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENI'l'SYLVANIA xmrrme macnmn Application filed November 6, 19 28.Seriallo. 146,680. i

to produce aJfabric similar in appearance to t a e well known Turkishtowel. A further object of this invention is the provision of means forproducing looped pile toweling, wash rags, ath mats, and even garments,such as bath robes, and the like,

' upon a knittin machine. 1 v A further ject of this invention is theprovision of an improved knitted fabric which employs main or basethreads to be knitted in such relation as to render the fabricnon-elastic, to a considerable extent-iI by. the

employment of a plurality of main nitting threads interknit in suchrelation as to provide straight or direct thread portions extendingacross each wale of the fabric from the walesat the opposite sidesthereof, and thus preventing liability of stretching of the garment bylimiting the lateral expansion of the wales.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improvedprocess for the knitting of toweling, by providing main yarns out ofwhich the base of the fabric is knitted, and by employing'therewith.terry or filler yarns which are drawn through and \held by the base ofthe fabric so as to provide free outstanding loops it opposite sides 40of the fabric, in a close relation. 7

- A further object of this invention is the provision of an improvedmechanism for the knitting of toweling, with outstanding free loops atopposite sides thereof, and including 43 means for interknitting a pairof yarns to provide a base for the fabric, and means to engage-and drawa pair of terry yarns through the base fabric to provide the freeoutstanding loops at opposite sides of the base fabric in simulation ofthe free loops as found upon conventional Turkish towels and likefabrics. I

\ A further object of'the invention is the provision ofcircular-knitting machines some what of the type set 'forth in atent1,012,966,

patented December'26, 1911 improvements thereover in adaptin the same.for the knitting of tow'eling fabric thereupon by cooperat veregulation of cylinder and dial needles to handle a plurality ofknit andterry yarns.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent duringthecourse of the following detailed description.

( In the accompanying drawings, forming a ut embodying part of thisspecification, and wherein similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the upper portion ofthe improved knitting machine; showing the cylinder and dial needles ofthe same in position to take both a knit yarn and a terry or filleryarn. Figure 2 is a plan view showing the cam operation upon thedialneedles, with the dial cap and cam removed to expose the relativelocation and relation of the dial needles, in so far as the dial camsoperate upon the same, with respect to the needles of the cylinder.

Figure 3'is a developed plan view of both I the dial and cylinderneedles; the upper row of needles being the dial needles and the lowerrow of needles being the cylinder needles, r and showing the same intheir cooperativev cam operated relations for the handling of 5 knittingand terry yarns.

' Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of the'cam operatedcooperative positioning of the dial and cylinder needles, for thehandling ofknit and terry thread; this view only being intended to showthe relative cooperation of the dial and cylinder needles, during thecam operation thereof, to receive the knit and terry threads. I

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through theknitting machine, substantially on a vertical plane taken on the line 55illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view, t km on line 6-6 of Figure 4,with the dial removed, the section being taken more particularly to showthe cam operation upon long and short butt needles.

Figure 7 s a plan view of the dial cap,

showing the carriers thereon for the guiding of the main and filleryarns. I

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, partly diagramm matic view showing. therelation of the knitted hollow cylinder 14 is rotatably supported in asuitable seat provided in the portion 12, and is of course concentricwith the gear'ring 11.

Diametrically opposed supporting posts 15 and 16 are vertically carriedby the gear. ring 11, for rotation therewith, and a yoke 17 is carriedat the top of theseposts, in the usual detachable relation. The bobbinsupporting construction and; guide for the threads or yarn strands issuitably supported above the yoke, in conventional relation, such as setforth in Patent 1,012,966, granted December 26, 1911, or in any otherapproved manner,

- and includes a rotatable bobbin supporting piece 20,- beneath whichris'a stationary ring 21, through which centrally extends the stationarypost 22, to .which the dial 23 is keyed,

as illustrated at 24 in Figure 5 of the drawings.

A dial cap 25 is rotatably supported upon I the post 22, and is rotatedwith the gear ring 11 and'the posts 15 and 16, by having an attachingarm 26, illustrated in Figure 1, connected to the post 15, or at anyother approved location. It is of course understood that the dialcap 25has attached thereto, at

' number, consistent with the ter of the fabric to be knitted, and thesebolted or otherwise keyed at 36 upon the gear,

28', a disc like cam 29, wherein the cam groove 30 isprovided,which-receivesthe'butts on the preferably spring beard typerofdial needle 31, illustrated in Figure 5 and throughout the drawings. t

The dial 23 has a plurality of radially disposed grooves 33, therein, ofany approved size and characgrooves 33 open at theiperipheryi of thedial and slidably receive therein the reciprocating spring beard needles31, after the relation illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. Amultiple section'cam casing 35 may be ring 11, so as to surround theneedle cylinder 14, and the same receives the cams thereon,

to be subsequently described, for manipulating the various needles ofthe cylinder 14, in cooperation with the head ring cams. I

As is illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings means is provided torotate the gear ring 11, comprising a driven shaft 38, having a bevelgear 39 thereon meshing with the downwardlly facing gear teeth.40 of thering gear 11, as in conventional ractice, and, it can readily beunderstood that upon rotation of the gear ring 11 the posts 15 and 16will be rotated therewith, 'and thru the bracket or connecting arm 26the dial cap 25 and its connected cam 29 will be rotated for causing thereciprocation of the dial needles 33 up on the dial 23, as will besubsequently described. The cylinder. 14 is of conventional char: acterinsofar as the form is concerned, andis provided with the-verticalupwardly opening grooves 45 therealong, which reciprocably receive longand short butt needles 46 and 47 respectively. The needles 46 and 47 areof the latch type, and are operated by means of cams carried by the camcasing 35 and by the upstanding annular flange 49 0 of the gear ring 11.The needles 46 and 47 are respectively provided with long and shortbutts 50 and 51 at the lower ends thereof, which are engaged andoperated upon by the cams of the casing 35 and flange 49, as

will be subsequently mentioned. Referring now to the control: of theknit and; filler of in the fabric, the operation is more particularlydesignated in Figures 2, 3, and 4 of the drawings, and the direction ofrotation o the cams is as designated by the arrows adv jacent thedrawings; it of course being understood that the cam cylinder and needledials do not rotate, but their needles reoip -rocate to knit thearticle, and that the same number. of needles are provided on the dialas are provided on the cylinder, and in an alternating relationtherewith, so that during the reception of the terry or filler threadsthe cylinder needles may beelevated by their cams in an alternatingintermeshing rela-' tion with the projected dial needles, as wellillustrated in Figure 40f the drawings.

' threads, and the control and reception the're- IOU In the formationof'the fabric, a. typical series consist of a first terry or fillerthread 60; first knit thread or yarn 61; a second terry thread or filleryarn 62; and. a second knit yarn or thread 63, t is of.courseunderstood, and intended, hat any number of such series may be providedon the machine A, and that the number of needles shown may be varied. vi

Referring now to the operation of the needles by the cams ofthe cylinderand dial for control of the yarn threads above mentioned, it is to benoted that the gear ring flange 49 has attached thereto cams 66, 67 68,69,,and 70 inv a circular relation -these cams being attached by meansof set'screws 71 as illustrated in Figures and 6 of the drawings. Cams72, 73,74, 75,76, and 77 are supported upon the cam casing 35, inconventional manner. a

x As the gear ring 11 and the cam casing 35 rotate, the long and shortbutts of the cylinder needles ride up upon the upwardly inlocationthe'butts 85 of the dial needles 31 ride along the outwardly inclinedportion 86 of the groove 30 of the dial cap cam; as shown in Fig. 3, toproject the spring beard needles 31 alternately between the spaced longand short butt needles of the cylinder which have been elevated by thecams 66, and until the open end of the beardsof the spring needles 31pass beyond the circular line of cylinder needles, as is illustrated at87 in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The first terry or filler thread 60 is ofcourse guided byathread guide 90 which is detachably carried on thed-ial cap, and has a guide opening 91 upwardly therein for guidingtheterry thread 60 and a lower openin 92 therein for-directingthe terrythread eneath the hooks of the open latch needles 46 and 47 as they areelevated by the cam 66. It shouldbe here noted that the cam 66, at 53,elevates the needles 46 and 47 to such extent only as to permit theslippin of the terry yarn 60 upon-the needle hoo s, and the latches donot slip through any .of the other loops on the needles at this cam edge53*.

As the cylinder cam construct-ion continues its rotation the long butts50- of: the needles 46 engage on a downwardly inclined cam edge 95 ofthe cam 72, which is su ported by the cam casing 35, as by a screw 9illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings, and it is to be noted that thiscam 72 is only of sufficient thickness that the" cam edge 95 willreceive the outer ends of the long butts 50,

of needles 46, and the short butts 51 of the short butt needles 47 willpass by the cam 72, and engage on the upwardly inclined edge 97 of thecam 73, thus carrying the short butt needles 47 upwardly to an elevatedposition wherethe 'same may receive 55 the; first knitting'yarn orthread 61. The long butt needles 46, however, continue to ride down thecam edge 95 and onto a cam edge 98 which is continuous with the edge 95,

until the long butts 50 of the long butt needles 46 are positionedbeneath the bottom edge 99 of the cam 73," and the long butt needles arethus fully retracted. Thus, the short butt needles are elevated b thecam 73. It is to be noted that as the long butt needles 1' 5 46 aredrawn down by the cams 72 and 73, the

terry threads will be pulled downwardly upon the top of the dial needles31 which have been projected by guiding 'of the butts in the groovedportion 86, and the pulling of this terry thread down over the springbeard needles of the 'dial is at a location inwardly of the open ends ofthe beards of said needles, so that as the dial needles'31 are retractedby means of operation of the butts 85 in thegrooved portion 100,illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of thedi'awings, the terry thread 60 willbe pulled beneath each of the beards of each dial needle.

The alternate needles. of the cylinder, that is the short butt needles"47, have been elevated bythe cam 73 for the purpose of receiving thefirst main-knitting yarn 61, and when they have been elevated properlythe knitting yarn 61 isfed b means of its guide 105 onto the hookeden sof the open latch needles 47 prior to depression by the cams 74 and 75.Upon continued rotation of the cam construction for the cylinder, theshort butts 51 of the short butt needles 47 will first ride along thedownwardl sloping cam edge 106 of the cam 74 and t en downwardly alongthe sloping edge 107 of the preferably adjustable cam 7 5, until theshort butt needles have been full retracted, and when they are fullyretracte it is to be observed that the terry thread 60 first'fedohtofthe needles will be, in a zi -za relation between the needles ofthe dia and cylinder with all of the nee dles of-the dial engaging thisterry thread and only the lowered long'butt needles pull- 103 ing theterry thread to a, location below the plane of the dial needles.

The function of the cam 73 is of course to elevate the short buttneedles 47 so that the latches pass above the loops pulled by saidneedles, in order that as the, needles 4T are retracted b riding alonthe cam 75, the old loops 0 the needles Wlll close the latches after thenew kit thread 61 has been received in the hooks of the latches, and asthe short butts of the needles 47 ride along the lower edge of the cam75. At the knitting point 110, the old 100 s of the knit yarn will slipover the tops of t e. needles 47, as will be well understood by anyoneskilled in this art, to ,form knitted'loops,'which are held in thefabric by means of the new knit yarn 61 which is herein termed the firstknit yarn.

-It is at thispoint that the short butt needles also release the secondterry thread to be 133 hereinafter mentioned, to form certain loops atone side of the fabric. It is'to be observed 7 that only short buttneedles 47 do the knittin at the point 110, and after the cam 75 all o fthe needles of the cylinder are retracted until 135 the cam 68 engagesat its upwardly sloping cam edge 112 upon butts of the needles of thecylinder 14, to elevate all of the needles of the cylinder until thehook ends thereof are above the plane of the needles of the dial, 1,53

' .7 of the drawingsand at which time the second terry thread 62 is fedfrom a guide 114, illustrated in Figure this guide 11a being entirelysimilar to the guide 90 illustrated in Figures 1 .and 7 of the drawings,and it is to be noted that all of the hook ends of allof the cylinderneedles receive this terry thread 62. At this point it should be notedthat the 127 of. the cam 69, to elevate only the longcam 68 at the peakthereof elevates the needles l6 and 47 to such extent only as to permitthe slipping of the terry yarn 62 upon said needle hooks, and thelatches do not slip through anyoftheother loops on the needles at thiscam 68. About the same time as the cylinder needles are being elevatedby the cam 68, the dial needles arebeingprojected outwardly inclined camedge 120 of the-cam 76, to lower all of the cylinder needles, and thusthe second terry thread 62 is held in a 'zig-zag' relation asillustrated at 121 in Figure 3 of the drawings, between all of the camand dial needles.

Uponrotation of the dial cam 29 the spring beard needles of course areretracted by sliding of the butts thereof in the inclined groovedportion 124, illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, to retractthe dial needles to p roduce the zig-zag efiect terry thread 62.-

The cam 69 of the gear ring'construction then advances so that the 101kbutts 50 ,ot'

the long butt needles ride upon the cam edge butt needles 46, for asutficient height that the old loops on these needlespass below thelatches thereon, as will be well understood by-anyone skilled in thisart, in order that when the'new knitthread'63 is received the said oldloops may sl ip over the new main thread63 received on said long buttneedles. It is to be observed that no knitting of the terry threads inthe fabric wales takes place, for upon elevation of the long buttneedles 46 on the cam '69, the second terry thread 62 which had beenengaged by the hooks of said long butt needles will ride beneath theclosin latch as the long butt needles are retracte and asis obvious. Asthecam construction of the cylinder contifiuesto advance the cam 77engages the long butts 50 of the long butt needles 46, to lower the saidlon butt needles I vto the knitting location 130, llustrated in Figure 3of the drawings, and this location a 130 is of course a knitting pointfor the old loops of the main yarn 63, as can readily be of theunderstood,and at this point the terry yarn which had been engaged bythe long butt needles a'dj acent the cam 66, that is, the terry yarn 60,will be passed off, but it is to be. understood that this passing off ofthe terry yarn 60- at the point 130 will not produce a knitefiect, byreason of the fact that no new yarn is received on the long butt nee esto produce any knit, and the pass-oflz' f this terry yarn will merelyproduce a loop at one side of the "fabric, which is a free outstandingloop, to simulate the ordinary'loops found in Turkish towels. I 8

Attention is now called to the .fact that there are two terry yarns heldon the spring beard needles above the knitting point 130, that is, bothterry yarns 60 and terry yarn 62, and the dial needles thus each havetwo loops held thereon after the knittin point 130 has passed, andimmediately a ter the fabric has been knit at the point 130, all of thedial needles 31 are projected outwardly, by riding along an outwardlyinclined cam rooved portion 135, until the beards have been projectedbeyond the terry thread loops held thereon, and-when the dial needleshave' been fully projected, the beards are pressed down by a beardpresser 136, of any approved formation, and immediately thereafter,while the beards are held closed, the dial needles are-retracted byriding along an inwardly sloping dial cam grooved "portion 138, to castoil the pair of loops held by each of the dial needles. Upon furtherrotation of the cam construction, the cylinder needles ride up. upon-thecam 66 and the operation above described is repeated. After the cast offofthe two loops from the dial needles, at the beard presser 136, it isto be noted that the short butt needles with the ter thread 62 thereonwill retain the loops of tie terry thread 62, and the castofi of thister thread 62 is effected upon eleva-' tion of t e short butt needles bythe cam 73, and" at their knitting point 110, as will be readilyunderstood by anyone skilled in the art relating to operation oiknitting ma chinery.

Referring fabric is dia rammatically illustrated, it should be unerstood that the wales and now to Figure 8, wherein the base yarns 61and 63 have been exaggerated, as to size, and that the fillerthreads 60and 62 pulled therein between and by the wales w1ll have freeoutstanding loops at both sides of the fabric, which, in fact, will onlythe long utt needles do the knit (3M0 parallel-rows of loops 151 will beformedlo this yarn 63, and it is to be noted that the rows ofloops 150will alte nate with the rows of loops 151, as-illustrat ed in Figure 8,and due to the independent knitting'of the long1 and'short butts,straight portions 152 of t e yarn 61 will extend between the loops 150and, across the loops 151, and likewise the straight yarn portions 153of the knit between the 100 s 151 etwo knitiyarns are interkni so thatone yarn produces wales alternating with the wales of the other yarn,and the straight portions f yarn between the alternating wales of thefabric extend across the'wales of the other prevent lateral elasticityof the knitvase yarnsto a greatei' degree than ordlnary knitting, andwhich renders the fabric practical as used in connection with Turki htoweling and like fabrics which are ordinar' y woven upon looms, andwhich it is intended this invention shall produce in a loops 160 standout the fabric, and

and efficient means hafs ting, upon a circular chine, with main andmoreeflicient and economical relation than Turelflish towels haveherebefore been prouc With res t to the terr threads and 62, the douhlloo cast-o of the dial elementsat the bea' presser 136 produces thedouble terry loops 160 illustrated iii the drawings, inthe fabricbetween adjacent rows of wales, all at one side' of the base knittedfabric. The'cast off of the short butt needles reduces the doublevfillerthread loops 161 of 0th terry yarns at the opposite side of the fabricfrom the double loops 160. It is of course understood that the loops 161are cast ofi at the knitting point110. Other double loops 162 of bothterry yarns are cast Off at the knitting oint 130, at. he same side ofthe fabric as t e loops 16 Thus the freely from one side of the, fabric,and the loops 161 and 162 stand out freely from the opposite side of therepresentation shown in Figure 8 of the drawings is merely diagram maticbyway of'example, and due to the close lrmt of the wales and stitchloops-of the fabric and the no -elastici ty due to the special alternateknit of the long and short butt'needles, held in such a loopedgrelationas to practicall hide-the base knit tional Turkish towel.

vention it is apparent that novel, economical,

devised for Imitt of knitting mamanner as to provide a practicallyunstretchable or nonelastic knitted fabric with filler ,yarns heldthereinin a freely looped relation at each side as to provide a fabricsuitable I yarn of the fabric to al intent and-purposes as ina conven fieryarns in suchfor use as towelingikwash rags; bath mats, bath robes,and the. e.

Various changes in the steps to effect the knitting of the as alterationof parts may be madeto the form of invention herein shown and described,without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of theelaims.

I I claim: v

-1. In a knitting machine a set of'needles and their carriers, means-forfeeding a knitting yarn to alternate needles of said set, means forfeeding a second knitting yarn to the remaining needles of said set,means to dependently operate the needles of the first and secondknitting yarns to knit fabric, a dial construction including threadcontrollin elements, means to supply a pair of extra t reads to therespective groups of alternate needlesof said set and the dial elementsintermediate the feeds of the first and second yarns above mentioned,and means to operate on the-needles of said. set and the dlal elementsto draw the extra threads into loose loops fabric. 4

2. In a circular knitti der having a dplurality of ongitudinalreciprocating nee es thereon, means to operate on alternate needles 'toelevate and lower the same, means to operate on the remaining needlestoelevate and lower the same, means to feed two knitting yarns to saidneedles, one yarn to alternate needles and thefother yarn to theremaining needles, a dial, reciprocating elements supported by the dialin transversely oinovable cooperation with the needles of ythe-cylinder,means for feedi an extra yarnto the cylinder needles an the dialelements, and cam means cooperating upon the cylinder needles and dialelements in cooperation 'with said last mentioned means to receive theextra yarn in such rethe filler or terry threads are projecting a afirst extra thread,cam means latio to the knitting yarn that the samewill proyi de loose loops at opposite'sides of the 31 Ina knittinvmachine astationary cylinder having a.

ciprocatingnee es thereon,

a stationary dial over the cylinder having a plurality of remain andterry yarns, as well machine a cylinurality of longitudinal reciproeablysupported elements thereon in transversely movable cooperative relationwith the needles of the c'yhnder, cam means /for elevatin all of thecylinder needles and ll of the dial'elements to receive immediatelysucceeding the last mentioned foam means to retract the dial elementsand lower alternate needles of the cylinder, means for elevating theremainingnil'ieedles of the cylinder to re-' I 'tting yarn, cammeans"operating on thelast mentioned'needles to lower them to knittingpositioeni caznmean suceeeding the last mention means to elevate all ofthe cylinder needles and proieetcali of the dial elements for receivinga second extra thread, cam means succeeding the last mentioned cam meas-for retracting all of I the cylinder needles and retracting all of thedial elements, cam means succeeding the last mentioned cam means toelevate the alternate needles of the cylinder which were not I elevatedwhen the first knitting thread was fed, means for feeding a secondknitting thread to the elevated needles of said last mentioned cammeans, cam means for lowering the said elevated needles to a knittingposition, and cam means for projecting the dial elements, to a loop cast0E position for casting 01f the loops formed by the extra threadsupported thereby.

4. Ina knitting machine, a cylinder, a setof cylinder needles, meansguiding and con: trdlling knitting yarns upon the needles, means tooperate said needles to knit a base fabric of said knitting yarns, adial construction including reciprocating yarn controlling elements,means for guiding terry looping yarns upon said dial elements andcylinder needles, and means to operate said cylinder needles and dial.elements to draw said terry yarns through the base fabric as it isknitted in free long outstanding'terry loops at both sides of the basefabric.

' HARRY. MOADAMS.

